Bathroom facilities for seniors

Oddly enough, Medicare will not contribute to bathroom facilities except under some extreme duress conditions such as there being no toilet on the same floor and the patient being bedridden. Here again, I can only recommend that you think long-term in the matter of what sort of toilet facilities you are going to get. Paying a bit more the first time is better than paying twice.

While we were at the hospital after my mother's fall, she could not even help the nurse and myself to get her from the bed to the toilet so we used a "3-in-1 commode". This is a portable john with raised handles and a removable pan. It can be installed over a regular toilet without the pan.

Even after two weeks in rehab, it was obvious that she needed help to lower herself onto the toilet seat because the one bar fixed to the wall was not helpful enough. She was a bit offended when she got home and saw that I had installed a 3-in-1 commode over her toilet, but when she realized that she could now use it by herself thanks to the raised handles, she was quite appreciative and got used to it quickly. The advantage is that, should she ever become bedridden again, I will already have the rest of the equipment (the pan and lid) right there so that I can put it next to her bed and use it as a real commode. My only advice here would be to measure your ordinary toilet seat. Some are particularly elongated, so it is best to get the appropriate size for everyday usage.